Spellbound

Of all the books on my TBR for this month, I was least certain about this one. It's by an author I don't know, it's been on my TBR since it was first released, and I never hear any talk about it. But it was so much fun.

The plot/world-building is great. It's got these people with powers (think X-Men) and these Relics that cause trouble (think Warehouse 13/The Librarians) and it exactly the kind of setup I love.

The cast of characters are great. My favorites are Arthur and his best friend Jade, but Rory, Zhang and Mrs. B. are all such great characters. (I do hope Zhang and especially Jade will have a little more development in the sequels, but, even if not, they are fun characters.) And that's pretty much the best thing about this book: it's fun, fun, fun.

I support the romance (and I love that it's a pretty slow burn that's fade to black) but...it took me awhile to warm to them as a couple because it's just a type of romance that isn't a favorite. (Sweetheart that's a bit physically intimidating with a shorter, thinner one that is described as a ‘firebrand'.) Not a favorite, but the two guys are delightfully vulnerable and really lonely and the relationship is a nice one.

Honestly, this book reminded me a lot of Jordan L. Hawk's work - which is a huge complement.